Legally, you have the right to draft your own documents; however, that doesn’t mean you have the right to have them actually work. Do-it-yourselfers accidentally disinherit children, fail to protect assets from lawsuits, trigger probate, invite court interference, give assets outright to a drug addicted beneficiaries, and incur huge fees to straighten out a big mess.
Creating an effective set of estate planning documents involves many moving parts and deep analysis. An estate planning attorney will consider your family situation and financial status coupled with where you live and where you own real estate. Your goals and concerns are also carefully considered.
With a myriad of variables at play, how can a book of generic forms, computer program, or website possibly address all correctly? It simply can’t.
Even attorneys, who don’t focus on estate planning, are hesitant to write their own estate plans. Instead, they turn to their colleagues who understand probate and trust laws and are experienced in putting together estate plans that work.